How would you describe your style?
I would describe my style as bold and exciting. I tried to make my yarn unique but easy to use with great patterns that lend themselves to bright, bold, colors.
Are there any artists / designers that you particularly look up to?
My yarn would be perfect to use in any design by my favorite knitwear designer, Stephen West. His designs are fun and funky and scream for yarn in the same style.
What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own?
My yarn and fiber is unique in the fact that my color's are well saturated, bright, and work well with each other. They lend themselves to mixing and matching to create vibrant finished products.
What sort of things inspire you? Where do you look for inspiration?
I draw a lot of my inspiration from the depths of my odd mind. I'll often just think of a color that I'd like to use in my own projects and once I get to the dye pots to create it, that one color will snowball into a series of color's.
The names of the colorways usually spring up while I'm dyeing. Something about the color will spark on odd thought and that becomes the colorway name.
For example, my black and pink yarn is named Flamingo Assassin because it made me think of a flamingo in ninja pajamas. The thought of a silly pink bird with super skinny legs trying to hold nun-chucks was pretty much the best.
When do you feel the most creative?
I always feel the most creative when I know I want to create something new but I just don't have an idea yet. I'll stare at all of my dye and a color will jump out at me and that gets the ideas rolling.
What is your creative process like?
My creative process is all over the board. Sometimes I come up with a theme for my color's first, other times I come up with the colors, and on occasion I come up with a color name well before I dye anything to go with it. I'll have color's in my brain for months before I dye them or for only a few minutes because I can't keep them in anymore. I fully believe that creativity can't always be structured so I just follow whatever scattered path it takes me.
What's the coolest artistic tip you've ever received?
The best tip I've received is to relax and trust yourself. If your art is stressful to a point you don't enjoy doing it, then it's not worth doing.
If you're into something that's not working and you don't like it, take a step back and really analyze why. Sometimes after stepping away for a bit you can figure out if it's the process or the product you're unhappy with and then you can correct the issue and get back on the right track.
Tell us about some of the custom options that you offer:
- I love helping people pick out the perfect yarn for their project. If you know you'd like to make a pair of socks or a sweater but don't know where to get started, that's where I shine! I can point you in the right direction for patterns that would work great with my yarn and help you pick out the yarn and get you the right amount to complete your project.
Same goes if you don't knit or crochet yourself but want to get yarn as a gift for someone who does. I'd love to help you pick out the best yarn that would make your present the favorite!
Three of my most popular colorways: (from left to right) Flamingo Assassin, Unicorn Tail, and Sea Turtle
Where can we learn more about you?
The best place to follow me is Instagram. I'm @knitstitchyarn on there. You can also check out my items at www.knitstitchyarn.etsy.com
